Wednesday, January 2, 2008

One of the best things about being a Biden supporter in this campaign is knowing that when it comes to making a case in his support, no one does better than the candidate himself. With that in mind, and with the Iowa caucuses taking place tomorrow evening, here is the closing argument in favor of Senator Joseph R. Biden of Delaware to be the next President of the United States.

Folks, now everyone is talking about this race being about either experience or change. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s about so much more than that. If it’s about experience, I win. If it’s about change, I can say, I think without equivocation, I’ve engaged in and I’ve generated more change in the attitude of the Democratic Party than anybody running. ...

But folks, it’s not about change or about experience. It’s about action. Action. Because, ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States is going to have no time. Unlike any other president, any other transfer of power, when the baton is handed from George Bush to the next president, you don’t have to imagine what the crises are that the next president of the United States is going to face. You know what they are.

Here is my final plea.

I want all the caucusgoers in this great state to close their eyes and imagine: If their candidate is president of the United States, not in a year but this very instant, are they confident that they have the sure-footedness, the steady enough hand to know exactly what they would do in Pakistan? To know exactly what they would do — not generically — exactly what they would do in Iraq? Exactly what they would do with the totalitarian tilt of Putin? Know exactly what they would do this moment where the relationship with China is fraying in a way that could become dangerous? Are they ready? Are they smarter than their secretary of state?